There was once upon a time a woman who was a real witch and had two daughters, one ugly and wicked, and this one she loved because she was her own daughter, and one beautiful and good, and this one she hated, because she was her stepdaughter. —
从前有个女巫，她有两个女儿，一个丑陋而邪恶，她爱这个女儿，因为她是自己的亲生女儿；还有一个美丽而善良，她讨厌这个女儿，因为她是继母生的。 —

The stepdaughter once had a pretty apron, which the other fancied so much that she became envious, and told her mother that she must and would have that apron. —
继母曾经有个漂亮的围裙，姐姐非常喜欢，以致嫉妒心生，她告诉她妈妈，她非要得到那个围裙不可。 —

‘Be quiet, my child,’ said the old woman, ‘and you shall have it. —
“安静，孩子，”老妇人说，“你会得到的。你的继妹早就该死了；今晚她睡着的时候，我会来砍掉她的头。 —

Your stepsister has long deserved death; —
只要你小心站在床的另一边，把她往前推就行了。” —

tonight when she is asleep I will come and cut her head off. —
就在这时，可怜的女孩正站在角落里， —

Only be careful that you are at the far side of the bed, and push her well to the front. —
一切都被听到了。 —

’ It would have been all over with the poor girl if she had not just then been standing in a corner, and heard everything. —
如果她当时没有站在角落里听到一切，那可就完蛋了。 —

All day long she dared not go out of doors, and when bedtime had come, the witch’s daughter got into bed first, so as to lie at the far side, but when she was asleep, the other pushed her gently to the front, and took for herself the place at the back, close by the wall. —
整天她都不敢出门，在晚上睡觉的时候，女巫的女儿先上床，躺在最远的一边，但是当她睡着后，另一个轻轻地把她推到前面，自己坐在后面，靠近墙壁。 —

In the night, the old woman came creeping in, she held an axe in her right hand, and felt with her left to see if anyone were lying at the outside, and then she grasped the axe with both hands, and cut her own child’s head off.
夜里，老婆婆悄悄地走进来，她右手拿着一把斧头，左手摸着外面是否有人躺在那里，然后她双手握住斧头，砍掉了自己孩子的头。

When she had gone away, the girl got up and went to her sweetheart, who was called Roland, and knocked at his door. —
当她走开后，女孩起床去找她的恋人罗兰，敲开他的门。当他出来时， —

When he came out, she said to him: —
她对他说： —

‘Listen, dearest Roland, we must fly in all haste; —
“听着，亲爱的罗兰，我们必须赶紧逃跑； —

my stepmother wanted to kill me, but has struck her own child. —
我的继母想杀死我，但她杀了自己的孩子。” —

When daylight comes, and she sees what she has done, we shall be lost. —
“天亮的时候，她看到她做了什么，我们就完蛋了。” —

’ ‘But,’ said Roland, ‘I counsel you first to take away her magic wand, or we cannot escape if she pursues us. —
罗兰说：“但是我建议你先拿走她的魔法棒，否则如果她追赶我们，我们就无法逃脱。” —

’ The maiden fetched the magic wand, and she took the dead girl’s head and dropped three drops of blood on the ground, one in front of the bed, one in the kitchen, and one on the stairs. —
少女取来了魔杖，她拿起死女孩的头，滴了三滴血在地上，一个在床前，一个在厨房，一个在楼梯上。 —

Then she hurried away with her lover.
然后她匆匆离开，跟她的情人一起去了。

When the old witch got up next morning, she called her daughter, and wanted to give her the apron, but she did not come. —
第二天早上，老巫婆起床后，她叫她的女儿，想要给她围裙，可她没来。 —

Then the witch cried: —
于是巫婆哭了起来。 —

‘Where are you?’ ‘Here, on the stairs, I am sweeping,’ answered the first drop of blood. —
“你在哪里？” “在楼梯上，我在扫地，” 第一滴血回答道。 —

The old woman went out, but saw no one on the stairs, and cried again: ‘Where are you? —
老婆子走了出去，在楼梯上却没有看到任何人，再次哭喊道：”你在哪里？” —

’ ‘Here in the kitchen, I am warming myself, ’ cried the second drop of blood. —
“啊，在厨房里，我在取暖，” 第二滴血喊道。她走进厨房， —

She went into the kitchen, but found no one. Then she cried again: —
却找不到任何人。然后她又哭喊道： —

‘Where are you?’ ‘Ah, here in the bed, I am sleeping,’ cried the third drop of blood. —
“你在哪里？” “啊，在床上，我在睡觉，” 第三滴血喊道。 —

She went into the room to the bed. —
她走进房间，来到床边。 —

What did she see there? Her own child, whose head she had cut off, bathed in her blood. —
她在那里看到了什么？她自己的孩子，她曾经割下头颅的孩子，浸泡在她的血液中。 —

The witch fell into a passion, sprang to the window, and as she could look forth quite far into the world, she perceived her stepdaughter hurrying away with her sweetheart Roland. —
那个女巫勃然大怒，跳到窗前，因为她能够看到远方的世界，她看见继女和她的心上人罗兰匆匆离开。 —

‘That shall not help you,’ cried she, ‘even if you have got a long way off, you shall still not escape me. —
“那也无济于事，”她大喊道，” 即使你们走得再远，你们也逃不出我的手掌心。” —

’ She put on her many-league boots, in which she covered an hour’s walk at every step, and it was not long before she overtook them. —
她穿上了她的远行靴，每一步都能够走一个小时的路程，没过多久她就追上了他们。 —

The girl, however, when she saw the old woman striding towards her, changed, with her magic wand, her sweetheart Roland into a lake, and herself into a duck swimming in the middle of it. —
可是当女孩看见那位老妇人朝她走来时，她用魔杖将她的心上人罗兰变成了一片湖，将自己变成了湖中的一只鸭子。 —

The witch placed herself on the shore, threw breadcrumbs in, and went to endless trouble to entice the duck; —
那位女巫站在岸上，撒下面包屑，费尽心机地引诱那只鸭子； —

but the duck did not let herself be enticed, and the old woman had to go home at night as she had come. —
但是那只鸭子不为所动，老妇人最终只好像来时一样回家。 —

At this the girl and her sweetheart Roland resumed their natural shapes again, and they walked on the whole night until daybreak. —
在此之后，那个女孩和她的心上人罗兰恢复了原本的形象，他们整夜走到天亮。 —

Then the maiden changed herself into a beautiful flower which stood in the midst of a briar hedge, and her sweetheart Roland into a fiddler. —
然后姑娘认为自己变成了一朵美丽的花，矗立在荆棘丛中，而她的恋人罗兰则变成了一个小提琴手。 —

It was not long before the witch came striding up towards them, and said to the musician: —
不久，女巫朝他们走来，对音乐家说道： —

‘Dear musician, may I pluck that beautiful flower for myself? —
“亲爱的音乐家，我能为自己采摘那朵美丽的花吗？ —

’ ‘Oh, yes,’ he replied, ‘I will play to you while you do it. —
”他回答道：“噢，可以啊，你采摘的时候我会给你弹奏。” —

’ As she was hastily creeping into the hedge and was just going to pluck the flower, knowing perfectly well who the flower was, he began to play, and whether she would or not, she was forced to dance, for it was a magical dance. —
当她匆匆地蜷缩进荆棘丛中，准备采摘那朵花时，他开始演奏了，无论她是否愿意，她都被迫跳舞，因为这是一支魔法舞曲。 —

The faster he played, the more violent springs was she forced to make, and the thorns tore her clothes from her body, and pricked her and wounded her till she bled, and as he did not stop, she had to dance till she lay dead on the ground.
他演奏得越快，她就被迫做出越激烈的跳跃，荆棘扯掉了她的衣服，刺伤了她，使她流血，由于他没有停下来，她不得不一直跳舞，直到倒在地上死去。

As they were now set free, Roland said: —
现在他们解脱了，罗兰说： —

‘Now I will go to my father and arrange for the wedding. —
“现在我要去找我父亲，安排婚礼。” —

’ ‘Then in the meantime I will stay here and wait for you, ’ said the girl, ‘and that no one may recognize me, I will change myself into a red stone landmark. —
’‘那么与此同时，我将留在这里等待你，’女孩说道，‘为了不被人认出，我将变成一块红石地标。 —

’ Then Roland went away, and the girl stood like a red landmark in the field and waited for her beloved. —
’然后罗兰离开了，女孩站在田野中就像一块红色地标一样等待着她心爱的人。 —

But when Roland got home, he fell into the snares of another, who so fascinated him that he forgot the maiden. —
但是当罗兰回到家时，他陷入了另一个人的陷阱中，他被那个人迷住了，忘记了那位女孩。 —

The poor girl remained there a long time, but at length, as he did not return at all, she was sad, and changed herself into a flower, and thought: —
可怜的女孩在那里呆了很长时间，但最后，因为他根本没有回来，她变得悲伤，并变成了一朵花，心想： —

‘Someone will surely come this way, and trample me down.’
‘肯定会有人走过这里，把我踩扁。’

It befell, however, that a shepherd kept his sheep in the field and saw the flower, and as it was so pretty, plucked it, took it with him, and laid it away in his chest. —
然而，一个牧羊人在田野里放羊，看到了那朵花，觉得它很漂亮，就采摘了它，带回家放在了箱子里。 —

From that time forth, strange things happened in the shepherd’s house. —
从那时起，牧羊人的家中发生了奇怪的事情。 —

When he arose in the morning, all the work was already done, the room was swept, the table and benches cleaned, the fire in the hearth was lighted, and the water was fetched, and at noon, when he came home, the table was laid, and a good dinner served. —
当他早晨起来时，所有的工作都已经完成了，房间打扫干净，桌子和长凳被清洗了，壁炉里的火已经点燃，水也已经取来了，到中午，当他回家时，餐桌已经摆好，一顿丰盛的午餐已经准备好。 —

He could not conceive how this came to pass, for he never saw a human being in his house, and no one could have concealed himself in it. —
他无法想象这是如何发生的，因为他从未见过有人在他的房子里，也没有人可以躲在里面。 —

He was certainly pleased with this good attendance, but still at last he was so afraid that he went to a wise woman and asked for her advice. —
他确实对这样的热情关照感到高兴，但最后他还是感到害怕，于是他去找了一个聪明的女人，并询问她的意见。 —

The wise woman said: ‘There is some enchantment behind it, listen very early some morning if anything is moving in the room, and if you see anything, no matter what it is, throw a white cloth over it, and then the magic will be stopped.’
聪明的女人说：“这其中肯定有一个魔法，很早的一个早晨仔细听听房间里是否有什么动静，如果你看到任何东西，不管是什么，就用白布盖住它，那么魔法就会停止。”

The shepherd did as she bade him, and next morning just as day dawned, he saw the chest open, and the flower come out. —
牧羊人按照她的指示行事，第二天早晨刚蒙蒙亮时，他看见箱子打开，花出来了。 —

Swiftly he sprang towards it, and threw a white cloth over it. —
他迅速向它扑去，把一块白布盖在上面。 —

Instantly the transformation came to an end, and a beautiful girl stood before him, who admitted to him that she had been the flower, and that up to this time she had attended to his house-keeping. —
转瞬间，变化结束了，他面前站着一个美丽的女孩。她告诉他她曾经是那朵花，一直照料着他的生活。 —

She told him her story, and as she pleased him he asked her if she would marry him, but she answered: —
她告诉他她的故事，他喜欢她，就问她是否愿意嫁给他。但她回答说： —

‘No,’ for she wanted to remain faithful to her sweetheart Roland, although he had deserted her. —
‘不’，因为她想忠于她的前男友罗兰，尽管他抛弃了她。 —

Nevertheless, she promised not to go away, but to continue keeping house for the shepherd.
尽管如此，她答应不离开，继续为牧羊人打理家务。

And now the time drew near when Roland’s wedding was to be celebrated, and then, according to an old custom in the country, it was announced that all the girls were to be present at it, and sing in honour of the bridal pair. —
现在罗兰的婚礼即将举行，根据这个国家的古老习俗，宣布所有的女孩都要参加婚礼，并为新娘新郎唱歌。 —

When the faithful maiden heard of this, she grew so sad that she thought her heart would break, and she would not go thither, but the other girls came and took her. —
忠诚的少女听到这个消息后变得如此悲伤，以至于她以为自己的心都要碎了，她不想去，但其他女孩来了并把她带走了。 —

When it came to her turn to sing, she stepped back, until at last she was the only one left, and then she could not refuse. —
当轮到她唱歌时，她退后了，直到最后她是唯一留下的人，然后她无法拒绝。 —

But when she began her song, and it reached Roland’s ears, he sprang up and cried: —
但当她开始唱歌，声音传入罗兰的耳朵时，他跳了起来喊道： —

‘I know the voice, that is the true bride, I will have no other! —
‘我认识这个声音，这就是真正的新娘，我不要别人！ —

’ Everything he had forgotten, and which had vanished from his mind, had suddenly come home again to his heart. —
一切他曾经忘记的、从他的记忆中消失的东西，突然又回到了他的心中。 —

Then the faithful maiden held her wedding with her sweetheart Roland, and grief came to an end and joy began.
于是，忠诚的少女与心上人罗兰举行了婚礼，悲伤结束，喜悦开始。